


Sending in the Troops

by Reyloshipper1



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, My god I love Adam Driver so very much it's getting unhealty, Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-03-17 21:55:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13668069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyloshipper1/pseuds/Reyloshipper1
Summary: Rey, Poe and Rose go to save Kylo Ren/Ben from Hux, who has seized power and overthrown Kylo as Supreme Leader.Chapter 3 of Sending In the Troops. Some notes:- I made up some names for Rebellion ships. I think they sound cool. I don't know.._ I, for the life of me do not know if it is possible that ships in The Star Wars Universe have combined shields activated but I went with it lol.Chapter 5:-I struggled with writing this one. It was a difficult chapter. Think I will rewrite/edit this chapter later.- I named The Knights of Ren.Chapter 8:This is turning out to be some sort of a slow-burn.. Which is ironic because I kinda hate slow burn fanfics myself but I promise todeliver the 'goods' soon.Chapter 10-I had difficulty finishing the story so I decided to add just one more and be done with it lol.As always: English is not my first language so bear with me.Thank you for reading.. ;)





	1. Chapter 1

Kylo wakes up.. He is chained to a table, everywhere he looks there are shackles and other devices to keep in place. He is guarded by two Storm Troopers. Kylo feels disoriented until he remembers it what had happened. 

Hux.. Revolt. Mutiny. Ambush. Chaos. Death.

It had led to a massacre between Storm Troopers loyal to Hux and the ones loyal to Kylo Ren but in the end Hux had prevailed. Kylo knew that Hux was waiting to strike ; unfortunately he thought he would have had more time to come with a plan. A plan that would have entailed saving Rey and joining her; fighting against the First Order.

One of the Storm Troopers walks to the door, opens it and says ' He has woken up'. Minutes later Hux walks in.

Hux:

'Aah. Splendid, splendid.. Finally the fun can begin'. 

Kylo:

'You TRAITOR' and he spits in Hux's direction..

Hux just laughs...

' I am guessing The Supreme Leader isn't pleased with his accommodations.... I wish I could say I was sorry about that but I'm not. I am going to keep you here for as long as I want'.

He walks over to Kylo, stays silent for a moment but then continues to speak.

Hux:

' You know... I never got what Snoke saw in you. What power? What potential? I see a child in a mask. '

He moves closer to Kylo's face now and says: 

' YOU ARE WEAK! A pathetic little whiny bitch that wants to play Vader but you lack everything he had. Vision, strength, intelligence, leadership.. Everything. '

Hux sneers:

'For too long.. I have endured you taking MY RIGHTFUL PLACE as leader. For too long I have watched you fuck up things over and over. And I know.. I know that YOU were the one that killed Snoke, you fucking liar'. He punches Kylo in the face . 

' I want you to know, Ren.. I am going to fully enjoy this'.

He puts on gloves that have got spikes on it and then proceed to hit Kylo in the stomach. Kylo lets out a scream in agony. 

On the Resistance ship the news of the mutiny reaches Poe; first in command. Rey watches from a distance how Poe is speaking to one of his officers about it. Rey goes to Poe to find out what has happened.

Poe: 

'Hux. Hux has overthrown Kylo as leader and taken his place. Apparently there have been many lives lost in the endeavour'. 

Finn: 

'Great! At least we don't have to deal with Pyscho Ben anymore, just Hux'. 

Poe: 

'Rey.. What's the matter? You're white as a...' 

Rey:

'We need to help him.'

Finn:

'Who? Kylo Ren?'

Rey, rambling, flustered :

'We need to help. I.. I need to go over there. Hux is going to kill him, he might be dead already. Please,' and she looks at Poe & Finn.

Poe:

'Why would we help him, Rey, after all he has done to us? And why would YOU care.. You don't know Kylo that well or do you?'

Rey has no other choice than to explain about the Force Bond but she doesn't tell them about the connection she feels with Kylo. Nor does she mention that, the longer the Force Bond existed, the more feelings she started to have for him. 

Finn:

'Oh well... Here I thought that you were going crazy because I thought you were talking to yourself but... having intimate conversations with a mass murderer is A MUCH MORE COMFORTING THOUGHT! Have you lost your damn marbles, Rey? He would have been easily able to locate you, no locate US! You put everyone at risk and yet you went along with chit chatting to a pyscho!!'. 

Rey:

'It's not like I had a choice in the matter. You don't understand how The Force Bond works...'

Finn:

'You're right, I don't understand. At this moment for instance I feel very confused about a lot of things. And a tad betrayed by my best friend'. 

Poe and Rose. They had put the missing pieces of the puzzle together and suddenly understand WHY Rey is eager to save Kylo. 

Poe:

'Finn, buddy. Enough. Be quiet'.

Rose:

'Yeah, zip it, Finn.'

Finn:

'What? Why? Are you guys taking her side in this?

Rose:

'What did I tell you on Crait.. when you went in to attack and I followed you?'

Finn lies and stubbornly says:

'I don't remember..'

Rose:

'Well, think harder'. 

Finn reluctantly repeats what Rose said

"That's how we're going to win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love."

Finn eyes grow wide, he looks at Rey and says:

'You love him?'

He doesn't have to wait for an answer; he can already tell from her expression. It had hit her the moment Finn had spoke. She loved him, Rey had denied and denied her feelings but the truth had finally come up to her to bit in her the behind. 

Finn is silent for a bit but eventually speaks. 

Finn:

'If you guys want to go on a suicide mission, then by all means, do. But I am not going to risk my life for that man. It's not worth it '.

Finn:

'HE.. is not worth it, Rey.'  
Whether you save him or not, that man is doomed. Don't you see? What life will you have with him if he spends the rest of his days locked up in a prison?'

Finn: 

'Rose..' he asks.. 'Are you going to go with them?'. 

Rose says nothing. 

Finn:

'NO, Rose. You can't, I won't let you..'

Rose:

'My mind is made up.. I'm going'. 

Poe: 

'Come on, Finn..We are going to need you with us'.

Finn:

'NO. Not this time, Poe'.

Finn shakes his head. Before he walks away he turns around and gives his friends one last look. He feels sad.. He doesn't know who these people are anymore. 

Poe, to Rey and Rose:

'So.. let's go but we are going to need a ship with a cloaking device'. 

End of Chapter one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first two chapters of my story where basically Rey, Poe and Rose go to save Kylo Ren/Ben from Hux, who has seized power and overthrown Kylo as Supreme Leader.

Poe: 

''This is the plan. As I said we are going to need a ship with a cloaking device. Then we are going to the First Order's vessel and pretend to be Storm Troopers while looking for...'...'

Rose interrupts:

'But.. We did that before and we got caught'.

Poe:

'Well your previous plan had one very big flaw...'

Rose:

'What was that?'.

Poe:

'You didn't bring ME, *points to himself*, along'.

Rose rolls her eyes and says:

'Really, Poe?'.

Poe:

'Well yeah...'

'Anyway. Rey.. You must be the one to locate Kylo, when we are there we must split up so they don't get suspicious. But before we go.. I need to brief the staff about what we are going to do. I don't know people will react if they see Kylo Ren at the ship. The man has caused a lot of grief and brought a lot of heartache to our people you know.'

Rey sighs and looks away. Poe is right. Kylo has done unspeakable things; he doesn't deserve to be saved if you think about it yet Rey wants to anyway. Poe, Rey and Rose go to control room for the briefing. Finn is there as well in the back, leaned against a wall.

Poe:

'Listen up everybody... In a short while Rey, Rose and I will be believing on a rescue mission... to the First Order's ship to retrieve Kylo Ren. As you might know by now there has been a munity on his ship led by Hux. We don't know what happened to Kylo but but we do know is that we owe it to.. Leia Organa to save her son'.

There is a light uproar in the control room, people are generally confused and talking through each other.

Poe:

'Alright. I understand how you guys feel . This doesn't make sense but like I said we owe it to Leia. She wouldn't have wanted us to do nothing while her son gets tortured or worse by Hux. Now listen.. If you don't want to participate in this mission, stand down. You have my respect and there will be no consequences for not following orders. But I am asking you.. Please don't sabotage this mission either'.

A male lieutenant wants to ask something and raises his hand.

Poe:

'Yes, Lieutenant Cato'.

Lieutenant Cato:

'So what will happen after we save Kylo Ren. At what point will he be brought to justice for his horrible deeds?

Poe shakes his head and says:

'I don't know.. That's up to other people."

Cato (visibly annoyed):

'Then WHAT is the point of saving him? Let him rot and go to hell'.

Poe:

'Again.. If you don't want to participate then don't, Lieutenant..'

Cato:

'This is lunacy! What if you get captured and The First Order finds out our location. I am asking you to reconsider this plan before we endure even more losses . I am sorry to say it because I valued her as a leader but unfortunately Leia Organa isn't with us anymore. Why would it matter if we save her son her not?'.

Poe: 

'I respect your opinion but we are going to through with this mission'.

Cato:

'You're a mad man'.

Poe:

'ENOUGH, Lieutenant Cato! STAND DOWN. THAT IS AN ORDER!'. 

Cato says nothing further and leaves the control room. Poe resumes his briefing after a short while:

Poe: 

'When we find the ship of TFO I will send you the coordinates. At my mark you will join us and fire at will. Now.. This might work or not but I am going to contact our allies and ask them to help us out. They let us down last time, they better come through now. '

Poe to his officers:

'We will be leaving shortly, prepare ship A1 for departure.'

Poe goes to the communication unit to deliver his message to the allies of the Resistance.

' This is Poe, first in command of Resistance Ship 'The Endeavour'. The reason I am contacting you is because I want to ask you, our allies for a favour.. At this moment Leia Organa's son, Ben, is captured on The Star destroyer. We are going on a mission to free him and bring him back... But we are going to need your help. Last time at Crait we also asked you to help us but unfortunately didn't respond to our call. This time I am urging you please.. You let Leia Organa down before.. PLEASE. DO NOT FAIL HER SON AS WELL'.

The briefing ends and Finn walks over to them.

Poe, referring to Luitenant Cato, asks Finn:

'Finn, was I this annoying when Leia and Holdo were in command?'

Finn:

'No, Poe'.

Poe is relieved but then Finn continues..

Finn:

'YOU WERE MUCH MUCH WORSE..'

Finn looks at Rey and says:

'I want you to know.. The only reason I'm coming with you on this batshit crazy mission is for her *points to Rose*. If, and that is a VERY BIG IF, we are able to return unharmed I don't want anything to do with you or him anymore. You got that? '

Rey is on the verge of crying but simply nods and says nothing.

Officer to Poe:

'Ship A1 is ready for departure, sir'.

Poe:

'Good.. Let's go.'

Poe, Finn, Rey and Rose find the ship and leave immediately.

Poe:

'Cloaking device is on, we're at cruising speed towards the Star Destroyer. Let's pray they won't be able to detect us'.

Finn:

'What are we going to do when we get there? How are we going to roam the ship unnoticed?'

Poe:

'To my knowledge there was a massive fight between supporters of Kylo Ren and Hux. Hopefully we will be able to find some of his supporters among the Storm Troopers.. Maybe they'll help. '

Finn:

'And what if we don't find any Storm Troopers, loyal to Kylo?

Poe:

'Well then we are fucked' .

Finn and Poe exchange looks of doubt. For the first time Finn can sense that Poe is afraid and unsure that this rescue mission will succeed. Over at the Star Destroyer Kylo Ren is more dead than alive being battered for nearly a hour by General Hux. There is blood everywhere and he has difficulty speaking.

Hux: 

'Still not dead... I do admire your determination, Ren, but it won't last long. Don't worry though, after you perish I'll make sure to send your body, or what's left of it, over to your girlfriend'.

Kylo tilts his head up at the word 'girlfriend' and looks at Hux.

Hux:

'Aww, you thought I didn't know about your sweetheart?'.

Hux:

'I kinda figured it out when you called off the attack on their ship the other day...When I'm done with you I will after her and make her wish she was never born. That's a promise and as you know I am a man of my word. Now where were we? '.

Hux hits Kylo again and he screams.

After an hour the group finally reaches the First Order's vessel. Poe gives the crew at 'The Endeavour' about the coordinates and asks them to wait for his mark to fire. Rose is instructed to wait for them at the ship as they search for Kylo. Upon opening their doors to disembark everyone collectively gasps.

Poe, half in shock and fear:

'The Knights of Ren'.. 

End of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 of Sending In the Troops. Some notes:  
> \- I made up some names for Rebellion ships. I think they sound cool.  
> _ I, for the life of me do not know if it is possible that ships in The Star Wars Universe have combined shields activated but I went with it lol.

Frozen, unable to move and speechless. There they stood, the fearless Resistance.

Rey eventually speaks and asks Poe who these soldiers are. Instead of being frightened she is curious to find out more. Poe explains and soon afterwards Rey goes into a full-blown rant. What kind of an army were they if Hux was able to capture Kylo Ren so easily? Rey scoffs. She continues and says that thank God, The Resistance is here to save Kylo Ren, because it was pretty damn obvious THIS army was unfit to protect its leader.

The two Knights in the front had just stared at each other in a confused manner; at least so everyone thought because it was kind of hard to tell because their masks were still on. Still.. They must have been wondering who the hell this young girl was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Finn is sensing that the Knights are getting annoyed with Rey's ranting and tries to warn her. 

Finn:

'Rey.'

But Rey continued her tirade.

Finn, sneering beneath his breath:

'REY. LOOK AT THEM. These aren't exactly the type of people you want to piss off!'

Rey shuts up immediately after realizing that Finn is right. These men and women too? looked menacing, even more frightening than Kylo when she first met him in the woods of Takodana. There were 5 Knights. Two were standing in the front, Rey wondered if they were the leaders? Ripped to the bone and very tall; a sight to see (well a scary one). Rey could sense that a couple of the Knights were missing. The way they stood in formation, out of some sort of habit maybe... She could see there were 'spaces' in between the soldiers where their peers had stood before.

Poe:

''My friend here is right. We are here to help Ren...I know that sounds crazy, but you must believe me. Our main purpose is to save him from Hux and take Kylo with us to The Endeavour. But we .. we will need assistance. Your assistance'.

The two Knights standing in the front look at each other for a while and then of them hints with his head to Poe to follow them. As they walk along the ship they see chaos and death everywhere. Bodies of Storm Troopers still lying on the ground. The ship badly damaged as well; for one the walls full of bullet holes. Finn doesn't recognize his former 'home' at all anymore. Order had been replaced for chaos, union for division. Division into two separate groups. One loyal to Hux and one loyal to Kylo Ren. 

Finn looks at Rey and wonders what she is thinking taking all of this in. He sees a desperate expression on her face. 

If it weren't for the Force Bond Rey would think that Kylo was dead already but there is a faint of a heartbeat that she still can hear. She knows and senses he is alive, for now at least but they must hurry to find him. She feels that he is still holding but he is slipping away fast. As if he is going to die any ... No, no she won't think of it. Rey will not lose him now she finally understands that... she loves him. 

The moment Kylo had removed his helmet she had been intrigued by him. As time progressed a desperate need to save him from the 'dark' and pull him back to the light had been burning like a fire inside of her. She didn't understand why before. Rey thought that it was because of sympathy and her kind heart perhaps? Yes, these factors had played a part in wanting to save him, but everything had changed after she had opened to him. In the cave. Where he had said she wasn't alone and they had touched hands and ... connected on a different level. 

It had been a defining moment in their relationship where Rey realized that her feelings had grown past sympathy. Yet at the same time she was too stubborn to acknowledge said feelings to herself and now she dreaded that she was too late. She tries to remain 'positive' and tells herself that all what matters now is Kylo's safety. 

Pretty soon after joining the Knights, Poe, Finn and Rey find out what really happened on this ship just a couple of hours before. Hux had organized the mutiny and his first order of business had been to contain The Knights of Ren. The Knights had fought like hell but a couple of them had perished. Hux had ordered some Storm Troopers to kill the rest. He miscalculated and did not foresee that the soldiers that were instructed to kill the Knights were loyal to Kylo. The Knights were set free. From that point it had been their mission point to take back control of the ship, first starting at the docking area and working their way 'up'. 

The Knights also wanted to get to Kylo as soon as possible. Poe explains the before mentioned plan to them and splits in three. Rose stays behind with one soldier for protection. The 'leaders' join Poe, Finn and Rey and will go to search for Kylo in the north flank. The other two Knights will patrol the west flank. Everyone changes into Storm Trooper gear, so they won't arouse suspicion.

Hux has not eased up on Kylo at all. Kylo is not feeling well at all and is barely holding on. Then suddenly an officer walks into the room, wanting to speak to Hux.

Officer:

'Sir, something has come up that requires your attention'. 

Hux:

'What is it?'.

Officer:

'The Knights of Ren, Sir... They are back'.

Hux:

'What are you talking about, I had strict orders to have them killed'.

Officer:

'I know sir... but they were let go by Storm Troopers. They are trying to gain back control'. 

Hux's face immediately sours... 

'Kill them at first sight'. 

Officer:

'That's not all... '

Hux:

'WHAT NOW?'.

The officer swallows a lump in his throat before he speaks.

Officer

'Our radar is picking up movement... Ships... Rebellion ships.'

Hux; mildly annoyed and surprised at the same time asks:

'How many?'

Officer:

'At least.. Five.. The SS. Orwald, The Armada, The Raven, Star One and ...'

HUX sighs and says:

'Do I have to spell out everything, you incompetent piece of shit. SHOOT. FIRE AT WILL, damn it'. 

Officer; even more frightened:

'We have tried, sir but.. but they seem to have sort combined shield activated'.

Hux thinks about what the officer has said and the implications for a minute and the shock is clearly visible on his face. He then directs his attention to Kylo.

'I am afraid I have to leave you for a while, Ren but I'll return shortly'.

Hux orders Storm Troopers to guard Kylo and insists that no one touches him. HE WANTS TO ABLE to finish Kylo off himself. Kylo has heard everything the officer has said but can't put two and two together in his state. He feels terribly weak and is about to drift into unconsciousness but is trying to prevent that from happening with all of his remaining strength. 

Soon after Hux has left Kylo hears screams and gunfire right outside the room. After a moment of silence, a Storm Trooper enters and walks over to him. He immediately goes into defense mode; tilting his head and trying to 'guard' his body. To his surprise the soldier doesn't hurt him but releases all the restraints by pushing a button underneath the table. Then he or she runs away in fear of getting caught by Hux's loyalists.

Kylo is able to get himself of the table but loses his grip and smacks down on the ground. After composing himself he stands up, sees his light saber and grabs it.. He needs some sort of balance, he figures the best way to get out is to use the walls of the room as something he can lean on. What seems like an eternity later Kylo finally reaches the door..

Kylo ignites his light saber and walks, or more limps, into the hallway. Every part of his body hurts, and the pain is almost too much to bare. He tries not to focus on the pain, he doesn't have time to anyway because he is stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in front of him are five Storm Troopers. 

Kylo doesn't know which side they are on, so he raises his light saber. He knows he is outnumbered but he will fight to the very end. 

Kylo is stunned again by the fact that these soldiers also won't attack him. One of them removes his helmet, looks at him with a very distressed and concerned expression on their face. It takes him a while to recognize whose face it is. His voice cracks as he speaks.

Kylo:

'Rey??'


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four of Sending in The Troops.

Control. It is what mattered to him most. He had craved it; having the ultimate control over HIS First Order. Not Ren’s but his. Hux had worked his ass off to get to the place where he was WITHOUT the Skywalker legacy. Without the nepotism. He didn’t have Snoke’s help, no one had helped him to get the point where he was. He had started out as a Storm Trooper; gradually working his way up and when his time to shine had came it was stolen by a weakling… The same weakling that went on to betray his master and killed him. 

Hux could overlook Ren’s betrayal to Snoke. He had pretended to care about Snoke dying on the hands of Kylo but deep down he was glad the old miserable bastard was dead. The thing that did bother Hux was Kylo Ren had betrayed his master for a girl. For love… It was all the proof Hux needed to see that Kylo should have never able to lead his beloved First Order.  
Hux had always mistrusted Kylo but the last of couple of months he had started to doubt Kylo’s allegiance to the cause. It happened one day when Hux was walking outside Kylo’s room and he could hear him talking to someone. A woman... Hux had figured that maybe it was one of the officers, but he had observed Kylo’s actions for a while and could not see a woman exiting the room. Another time Hux was passing by and he could hear that Kylo was talking to somebody again, but the odd thing was... Hux couldn’t see WHO Kylo was talking to. It was like he was speaking to a ghost.  
Hux thought that Kylo was going crazy or something until he confided to one of his high ranked officers, speaking of Kylo’s weird behavior. They had informed him about a possible Force Bond between Kylo and this unidentified person. Hux thiught it was nonsense, ridiculous to think this Force Bond thing was realHowever, the minute... The minute Kylo had wavered attacking the Resistance ship, Hux knew EXACTLY who the unidentified woman was.  
The girl. Rey. The one Kylo had taken with him for interrogation a couple of months ago instead of going after the droid. Now he knew Hux had begun silently planning a mutiny… He thought it would be best to wait a while; a couple of weeks, maybe even a month before going into attack. He would take his time planning and when the moment was right he was going to strike.. And so he did, first containing Kylo’s trusted army, The Knights of Ren.. Hux had thought of everything but the one thing he did not count on were the Storm Troopers resisting the mutiny. That had been his only miscalculation and he would see to it, by FORCE, that there weren’t any other.  
Hux has made it to the control and proceeds to talk to his staff. 

Hux to officers:  
‘Give me an update, now’. 

Officer:  
‘The shield is still active, Sir… The rebellion ships are still out there but are not firing… yet.'

Hux:  
‘They are awaiting orders… but from who? The Endeavour is miles away’.  
‘What about the Knights of Ren?’

Officer:  
‘We are searching the ship sir but we haven’t found them yet’. 

Hux, grabbing the Officer by the neck in a vicious manner  
‘I’LL GO LOOK FOR THEM MYSELF’. 

Hux:  
‘In the meantime, alert me at once if the situation changes. ‘You three’ and he points to some Storm Troopers.. ‘Follow me’. 

Unknown to Hux even the soldiers loyal to him were starting have doubts. They could see Hux was starting to lose control of his ship and army. The thought of 5 Resistance ships being able to fire at any moment troubled people as well.  
It was a classic case of someone getting into a powerful position but not knowing how to deal with it. The worst thing was that Hux had become increasingly paranoid. At the beginning of his mutiny he had pulled several Storm Troopers aside and has asked them to prove their allegiance. Hux or Kylo?  
If he thought the soldier took too long answering he had them executed immediately. It made even the most loyal soldiers to Hux begin to question his motives. In fact, some of them were even starting to miss Kylo Ren.  
It’s not like Kylo Ren was loved very much by his troops though… Kylo Ren was no picnic as a boss either. Everyone knew it was better to avoid the man especially when he had one of his epic temper tantrums. There was a substantial difference between Hux and Ren, a difference no one could ignore. Sure Kylo had manhandled a couple of people for incompetence but he never butchered his own men. Hux, so it seemed, went into a frenzy fueled by paranoia and seemed to regard anyone, even his own soldiers, as enemies. 

\-------------------------------  
Kylo Ren was stunned at the sight of Rey standing before him, with the traitor and pilot. Had the Resistance come for him? To save him or to finish him off themselves? Kylo looks at Rey and knows the answer almost immediately. The girl looks like she is about to burst in to tears in any moment.  
Kylo starts to limp towards Rey…. Rey is in shock, she didn’t expect to find him like this. Beaten up maybe but not smeared with blood all over his face. Kylo has one hand at his stomach, to stop the bleeding but it didn’t seem to help much. Blood was gushing all over his gloves.  
As he makes his way towards Rey, Finn and Poe see that Kylo hasn’t switched off his light saber yet. It almost leads to an altercation between The Knights of Ren, and Poe, Finn. Finn and Poe reach for their guns because they are unsure of Kylo’s motives. The Knights of Ren reach for their weapons in order to protect their leader.  
Moments later they hear the sound of metal hitting the floor, it’s Kylo’s light saber. Kylo is still limping towards Rey and midway he reaches out to her with one arm. Seconds later his body tumbles forward barely being caught by Rey as she takes him into this arms, his head across her chest. 

Kylo looks up to her..  
‘Why.. did you come here? Hux… He’ll, he’ll..’.  
Kylo’s sentence is interrupted by him coughing up blood. Rey feels even more concerned for Kylo and pulls him closer. She knows that won’t help much but in her mind, at that moment she wants to do anything to help.

Rey:  
‘I had to see … I couldn’t… ‘  
For some stupid reason beyond logic Rey doesn’t speak any further. She doesn’t finish her sentence and is not able to say that she loves the man she is currently holding in her arms. 

Kylo:  
‘You… You must go… He will come back. LEAVE’.

Rey:  
‘No. I’m not leaving you... Not this time’. She wants to say ‘NOT EVER’ but she swallows her words. 

Kylo:  
‘I .... said leave. I don’t want him… to find you’. 

Poe to Finn:  
‘Gee Finn… How could we have EVER missed the signs? Look at them (and he points to the two). Match made in heaven, two stubborn idiots. Rey. We need to be leaving… anytime is fine’.  
Even if Kylo is on the verge of the dying he has heard everything Poe has said. Even if Kylo is on the verge of the dying he has heard everything Poe has said. Could it be? Could it be that Rey wanted to save him out of love and not out of some misguided altruism?

Finn almost laughs at Poe’s sarcastic comment and then says:  
‘I agree, Rey. The sooner we go, the better. And you...’

Finn looks at Kylo.  
‘You desperately need some medical assistance’. 

Poe;  
‘Alright… Finn and, uhm Knight one, help me carry him’. Knight two and Rey, walk behind us.’  
Poe gives Rey his gun and says:. ‘Don’t be afraid to use this if you must’ and he gives her an assuring nod. 

And so, Poe, Finn and Knight start carrying Kylo through the halls of the ship.

Finn:  
‘Jesus Christ; he is heavy. May I suggest that next time we go save a murdering psychopath we take a wheelchair with us?’

Poe, struggling to carry Kylo himself: 

‘Duly noted, Finn.. Now, let’s hurry up and get off this creepy ship, OK?’  
The group of friends knows that the most difficult task is at hand. It was one thing to save Kylo but to get him off the ship unnoticed and unharmed…. How on earth were they going to be able to pull that off?

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot with this chapter; it was difficult to write..  
> Side note: I named the Knights of Ren...

Hux makes it back to the interrogation room... He gets incredibly angry at the sight of two dead guards lying outside. He immediately knows Kylo has gotten away but checks the room to make sure. Soo close. So close and he would have gotten Kylo Ren out of his life for good. The man is like a bug he tries to kill repeatedly but comes back.

He can't believe this is happening and shouts in anger. When the anger has subsided a bit and Hux is able to think clearly again he notices bloody footsteps. He doesn't quite understand yet that Kylo might not been alone and that there were plural footsteps. All he thinks to himself is 'He cannot have gone far. Not in his state' and he is off to find Kylo.

On the way to the ship Poe, Finn, Rey and the Knights encounter several soldiers who just look at them but don't engage in any action, nor help them out either probably out of fear for execution by Hux.

The gang is able to make it almost back to the ship without anyone disturbing them until they hear a maniacal laugh that brings shivers downs their spine.

HUX..

He is standing there with his soldiers, looking like a mad man. Eyes shot red; rage written all over his face. Rey immediately walks to the front and positions herself in front of Kylo.

Hux laughs again.

'This is just so so cute... The Resistance coming back to save the prodigal son. I suppose you guys are the reason why there are five rebellions ships waiting outside'.

 **Poe** :

'They've come....'

Hux:

'Yes, they have. Very clever of them to use to the combined shield although it won't last very long. As we speak our technicians are trying to disable the shield and also disable any weapons they might have. And then.. Two words: cannon fodder'.

Rey:

'You are full of shit'.

Hux:

'Oh I am? How so?'.

Rey:

'You speak like a man that knows his end is near but is fooling himself'.

Hux smiles:

'Aah.. The girl. Now, I don't care for matters of the heart, but I do see why Kylo here is smitten with you.'

He walks over to her and puts one finger on her face and whispers...

'Beautiful and strong, too'.

Rey slaps his hand away and Hux smiles. He walks back to his previous position.

He continues:

'Where were we again? Oh yes, the Rebellion. You really shouldn't have called them into this. Do you enjoy seeing your friends being blown to pieces?'.

' Speaking of friends dying...'

Suddenly Hux draws his weapon and shoots Rey in her shoulder. She screams in agony before hitting the floor. The incident leaves everyone shocked. Poe just stares at Rey in disbelief. Kylo tries to move towards Rey and holds her in a feeble attempt to protect her from further harm.

Finn:

'You bastard!'.

Finn runs over to Hux to hit him but he is stopped by the guards.

Hux sounds almost apologetic in his next sentence.

'Well, don't be mad. She was standing in the way of the one I was trying to aim for'.

Kylo looks up at Hux who slowly raises his gun again.

Hux:

'I wish I could say it was a pleasure serving with you. It wasn't. Rot in hell'.

Hux wants to pull the trigger but he is unable to..... Someone has grabbed him by the neck; squeezing it tight with one arm. The other arm holds a dark blue lightsaber and it is aimed at Hux's head. The Knight forces Hux to drop the weapon.

Hux screaming to his Storm Troopers:

'What are you waiting for, attack. Kill them'.

Contemplating what the hell they should do the Storm Troopers just stood here for a while. It was a very tricky situation. They were obligated to follow Hux's orders but outranked by the The Knights of Ren. Secondly; outnumbered as well. The Knights that had patrolled the west flank had collected an army of soldiers loyal to Kylo.. So, it wouldn't be wise to kill of Kylo and his Knights at this moment. Reluctantly the Storm Troopers drop their weapons and raise their hands.

Hux:

'NOOOOOOOO! COWARDS! DO AS I SAY. KILL THEM. KILL THEM."

The Knight holding Kylo looks at him for instructions what to do with him. With a tilt of his head Kylo orders Hux to be taking away.

It is at that exact moment the rebellion ship 'The Armada' has had enough of waiting for Poe's cue to fire. The combined shield could be deactivated any moment, they were running out of time and decided to stop waiting for orders and strike.

The impact causes The Knight to let of Hux for a moment as chaos ensues and everyone starts running. It is in that moment Hux grabs the gun that is hanging on The Knight's belt and he charges towards Kylo.

One.

A moment later.

Two.

Seconds later.

Three.

It was odd... The pain had hit him with shot number two; not one because he was so focused on trying to get to Kylo. He looks at the direction of where the shots came from and sees Kylo still holding the gun in his hands, panting heavily as if he was on his very last breath.

Hux slowly starts dropping to the floor and he looks down. There are holes in his beloved uniform and he can sense that this it... In a couple of minutes everything he has ever loved will be gone. The First Order, his life's work. Gone. It almost makes him want to cry but then he gets dizzy. Not soon after Hux falls to the floor and everything turns to black.

Finn and Poe immediate reaction is to help Rey and get Kylo back on her feet. Rey ensures Finn and Poe that she is fine, well for the moment being and the group decides to get off the ship as soon as possible.

Poe to Finn:

'Seriously, why don't people just follow my orders? GOD'.

Finn:

'Well I am glad they chose to disobey you because if they hadn't.. '

Poe:

'I know. I know' and he sighs.

The Knights of Ren start carrying Kylo to the resistance ship. Rey can walk but Poe and Finn still help her. As they finally reach the ship, Rose is dumfounded at the sight of Rey and Kylo.

Rose:

'What the hell happened?

Before working at the Resistance base, Rose had worked as a nurse in several hospitals. She immediately gets the medic kit and tries to tend to Rey's wound, but Rey insists she takes care of Kylo first.

Rey:

'Will he make it back to The Endeavour, Rose?"

Rose:

'I don't know. Maybe. I'll try my best I can to stop the bleeding but it is crucial we go now'.

The Knights prepare to leave and Kylo looks at his trusted soldiers... Atreus, Enyo, Hektor, Kreon, Xerxes.. He only just noticed that Atlas and Charon were missing, probably perished in the ambush.

Ship A1 of the Resistance is too small to take all The Knights with. Kylo understands this soon enough but he also realizes he is essentially leaving them behind to die. They sense his trepidation. Atreus, who is standing in front gives Kylo an assuring nod.

As the door of the ship closes The Knights of Ren remove their helmets and keep them in front of their chest with one hand. With the other they salute Kylo goodbye. He knows he will never see them again.

Poe has grabbed the controls and the ship starts moving away. Poe instructs the rebellion ship to hold fire until they are at a safe distance. When they are; the First Order's vessel is bombarded with gunfire and blown up to pieces.

End of Chapter 5.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is back at the Resistance base but Kylo is not doing very well and her friendship with Finn seems to be over. The last couple of weeks have not been easy for Rey. Will she be finally able to tell Kylo about her feelings when he wakes up. If... he wakes up.

Rey is asleep in a chair; curled up in a very uncomfortable position with her head against the wall and a blanket covering her. The chair she is sitting in is not meant to be slept in at all and it gives Rey pain in her back. Suddenly she wakes up with a jolt. She looks up and she sees Kylo lying in a hospital bed with lots of tubes everywhere. Rey looks at the monitor that shows Kylo's heart rate and oxygen levels.

At least he is still breathing, she thinks to herself...

That wasn't the case the other night. She had fallen asleep and in a blink moment he had stopped breathing. She woke up to the sounds of people yelling for assistance and medical instruments. Eventually Kylo started breathing again but it had been close. Rey was pissed at herself for fallen asleep and not noticing that Kylo was deteriorating.

But she is exhausted from sitting in the chair all day long and not properly sleeping but she refused to leave. Rey hears someone coming down the hallway and she looks in the direction of the person who is making his way up to her.

It's Finn... The same Finn she hasn't seen in weeks. Well she saw him, but he was actively avoiding her changing direction whenever he saw her. It made Rey feel sad thinking about that she has lost a good friend and she really doesn't know how to fix the situation.

But he is here now, and Rey wants to run to her friend and give Finn a big hug until she remembers that she and Finn aren't exactly talking to each other right now. So, she sits there and waits. 

He knocks on the door.

Finn:

'Can I come in?'

Rey nods. Finn goes to get a chair from the hallway and places it next to Rey. Then he sits down next to her. He looks at Kylo for a minute and then proceeds to speak.

Finn:

'How is he doing?'.

Rey looks at Kylo when she answers.

'He is stable for... now'.

Finn:

'That's ... good. Good, yeah'.

An awkward silence follows that last sentence until both Rey and Finn can't stand it anymore and start talking, no really shouting but both at the same time.

Rey:

'I'm so sorry, Finn. I should have told you about the Force Bond and... ...'

Finn:

'No. no. I understand... I do. I mean I understand why you didn't tell me'.

Rey:

'But you are my best friend'.

Finn:

'I know. And you are my best friend... Which means I should support you in whatever it is that you want. And if that includes murdering psychopaths, then so be it'.

It is a horrible comment to make but it lightens the mood and it makes Rey smile for some reason. Encouraged by this; Finn decides to take it a bit further.

Finn:

'Well I must say one thing ... Man. I am not looking forward to dinner parties at your house. What a drag'.

Rey envisions Finn, herself, Poe, Rose and Kylo at their place solemnly eating; no one speaking at all except for Kylo, who tries to be a good host and asks if they 'want more wine'. The whole group just trapped in a horribly awkward situation and a never-ending evening. The absurdity of it all makes Rey laugh hysterically and Finn joins her.

Rey, very softly:

'Do you think we'll be able to...'.

Rey stops speaking abruptly but Finn knows exactly what she intended to say. Do you think we'll have dinner parties in our house, Finn? Do you think we will be able to have a life together? Have pets. Children. Pets AND children. Or no children but just have the option to think about having children. The option to choose. The option to choose HIM.

He wants to say:

'Sure Rey. Of course, you will live together, start a life with Kylo without worrying he'll be locked up in a prison for the rest of his life.'

He wants to tell her that 'everything will work out, you'll see, don't worry Rey'. Yet Finn is a clever man and he knows exactly how the world works. He knows that Kylo will have to pay for what he did, sooner or later and he doesn't want to lie to Rey. Not again so he answers honestly.

Finn:

'I don't know Rey... But I hope so.'

Rey sighs and says nothing further.

Finn grabs her hand, squeezes it and gives Rey a kiss on the cheek. He tells her that he must go because Rose is waiting for him but promises to visit her again. Rey smiles at him, tells Finn to give her love to Rose and waves to him.

An hour after Finn has left, Rey feels herself getting sleepy again and he pushes her head back on the wall and drifts off. A short later she wakes up from a deep state of rest, damning herself that she YET AGAIN has fallen asleep. She looks around in a confused daze; then looks at Kylo's monitor and then at Kylo...

Her heart skips a beat. Staring back at her are Kylo's dark eyes. Her mouth falls open and before Kylo can say anything Rey bolts to the nurses' office to tell him that the patient has woken up. The nurses and doctors go over to check on Kylo, instructing Rey to wait outside. She doesn't go very far though; in fact, she can still see the medical staff working on Kylo from where she is standing. Rey starts getting worried because the nurses and doctors stay in his room for a long time but eventually they leave. She sees that Kylo's eyes are searching for her. Outside the doctor tells Rey that Kylo is still in a critical condition and needs to recover a whole lot more.

Rey walks back in the room and she and Kylo just look at each other. He looks very pale, probably from the blood loss and she can sense, through the Force Bond, how tired he is. But she also senses his relief... not the relief that he has made it but being happy that she hasn't left his side all this time. Upon realizing this Rey's heart starts beating faster and she gets warm fluttering feelings in her stomach.

But yet again, before Kylo is able to say a thing she starts walking out of the room. She turns her head just before she exits and says:

Rey:

'You should uhm try to get some sleep. I'll come back later'...

As she walks away she start feeling very confused about all of it. She knows that she loves him; if anything, going on a batshit crazy mission to save him would be enough proof but it's different now. Rey has thought off all the things she wanted to say to Kylo when he was unconscious. She wants to say that he regretted leaving him that day after their battle...

Rey wants to say that when she looked at the lightsaber she, for one moment, kicked herself for not taking his hand. She knows she made the right decision but sometimes she wishes she had just gone with him. Leave everything and start anew but deep down she knew that it wasn't their time yet. And so, she left...

However, things had changed now. Here he was; right in front; badly wounded but alive. It was ridiculous really. By now everyone knew that Rey was in love with the former Supreme Leader. Everyone but Kylo himself and for some stupid reason Rey was still too scared to tell him, at least for now.

She instructs a nurse to come find her if Kylo's condition changes. Then she walks back to her room; falls to her bed and sleeps for a very very long time..


	7. Chapter 7

He feels uncomfortable at the Resistance base, which is preposterous really. He never cared for what people said about him before, but the dirty looks and whispers are starting to get to him. He won't admit it to himself, but it is why he goes on his walks, doctors' orders, at night.

So, he walks and as he does, he contemplates about a lot of things. He has a lot of thinking and regrouping to do. His former plans and visions for the future were no longer relevant and it really troubled him to think about what the hell he should do next. He, who was always sure of what he wanted; felt lost and unable to find the way back so to speak.

Six weeks had passed, and they had been hell for him; he had endured infections, fatigue and recurring symptoms but he was finally on the mend. He was starting to feel better and regained some of his energy and stamina back. He knows very well that he'll be never be back to his former shape, but he doesn't care. He is alive and that is all what matters.

That .... And Rey.

Rey.

She had been there when he woke up; asleep in a chair and it looked like she had been there for a long time. He had felt relieved. Finally, he and Rey could stand a chance to be together. There was no First Order anymore and the Resistance nowadays didn't have much to do now the enemy was gone. Surely now there weren't going to be any hindering factors or, so he thought. 

Kylo isn't exactly sure what is going on with Rey now. Rey had been visiting him, but she had been acting aloof; one minute very friendly and chatty, the other withdrawn and absent minded. Whenever he wanted to surpass the chitchat of how he was feeling and wanted to get into serious matters she would make up some excuse that she had to leave. Supposedly having plans with either Finn, Rose, or Poe or all of them together. 

He usually plays along with her excuses but not today. Today he has had enough and today he is going to say something and confront her, if she chooses to lie to him again. Rey said she was meeting Finn and Rose for lunch but Kylo had overheard them saying that they were going on some sort; all day compassing, field trip to a planet he had never heard of.

Kylo:

'Can we talk, Rey?'.

Rey, smiling but a bit nervous:

'I thought we already were talking, Kylo? Silly. Well anyway, we must resume this conversation another time. I'm meeting Rose and Finn for lunch'.

Kylo, slyly playing along:

'Really, where are you going to for lunch? Any place you would recommend?'.

Rey:

'Uhm. We are going to Rima's; sandwich place. Good coffee and good sandwiches too. I like the Chicken Capresi one, it is my fave.'

Kylo:

'Sounds good. Might have to check that out when I'm feeling a bit better'. 

Rey, smiling:

'You should. So, I'm uh going to go.'.

Kylo:

'Sure' and he nods.

Rey is just about to walk away before he speaks again.

Kylo: 

'I thought Finn and Rose had left in the morning for Sifar. I overheard them saying that they won't be back until late this evening. But you said you're going to get lunch with them, how peculiar.'. 

Upon being confronted Rey's face turns bright red. Kylo can't help but smirk a little; at the same time, he feels a bit sorry for embarrassing her. 

Rey:

'Oh, that's right... I must have switched up the days. Well I leave anyway, maybe you would want to sleep or something.'. 

Caught on a lie, Rey wants to leave just about now...

Kylo, pretending to get sleepy all sudden:

'You're absolutely right, Rey. I'll try to get some sleep. Thanks for visiting' he says with a smirk on his face. 

It is night again and Kylo resumes his walks around the base. He thinks about cutting this walk short today because he is tired and bored. He decides to take a shorter route, one that leads through the personnel quarters. For some reason he can access the area without any issues. The Resistance is letting a very dangerous man walk around their base freely and not only that, enter the residences of their personnel. This would never ever happen if the First Order had been in charge. Kylo had to remind himself though sometimes that there was no First Order left, so it hardly matters what they would do now.

As he enters the hallway he feels the need to stop in front of a room.

Rey's room... He can sense it .

He feels the urge. The urge to knock on her door, to see if she opens and lets him in. In his mind he had played out several times what he would do if she did allow him to enter. He would immediately pull her close, not give her any chance to rethink things. He would hold her for a very long time; for as long as she would let him. Then he'd lean down, gently hold her face, stroke her hair and do what he had wanted to do ever since he met her. 

Kiss her. Kiss her with every fiber of his being, all the while exploring her body and letting her explore his. Both hesitantly at first but later eager until they are overcome with desire and end up in her bed.

He has his hand half raised to the door but lowers it. As much as he wants to be with her, he didn't think he should be the one the make the first move. Not before getting some sort of confirmation from her. So, he exits the personnel quarters, half way through his way back, he sees Poe going up to Rey's room and he watches them from a distance. He knocks on her door and she opens it.

Poe:

'I'm really sorry to bother you right now, Rey but I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving in an hour'. 

Rey, a bit shocked:

'Leaving? Where to?'.

Poe:

'Home... actually. Family emergency, my dad has gotten in some sort of accident. Nothing life threatening, and he is doing OK. They told me not to worry and not to come but I feel like I should go. And besides... With the First Order being gone and no more enemy to fight I'm kind of out a job now'. 

He is joking but Rey can sense that he is a bit sad he won't be flying much anymore.

Rey:

'Well take as many days off as you want. You deserve a big break'. 

Poe:

'Thanks, Rey.'

Rey:

'Also, I am sure you'll be happy to see HER again'.

Poe gets a big smile on his face.

Poe:

'Yeah. Missed her very much'. 

Poe:

'I wanted to say goodbye to you before I left. Already had a very emotional goodbye with Finn. Seriously, he didn't want to let me go and clung on to me for ages'. Poe laughs. 

Rey:

'I'll miss you Poe'. 

And she means it. Finn was her best friend, but Poe had been kind of an older brother to her. It made both Rey and Poe when people speculated she and Poe were an item. It was never the case and Poe was in love with someone else, someone special back home he didn't tell everyone about.

Poe:

'I'll miss you too, Rey. Do come visit, you, Finn, Rose and uhm. Maybe Kylo too?'. 

Rey's face starts getting red.

Poe gives Rey a hug, leans down to hold her face and gives a kiss on her cheek. He then lowers his head and looks Rey in the eyes and earnestly says:

'Just tell him how you feel, OK?'

Rey nods yes and gives Poe another hug. 

Without waiting for what will happen next Kylo decides to head straight back to his room. He knows enough. He will leave this Godforsaken base as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning out to be some sort of a slow-burn.. Which is ironic because I kinda hate slow burn fanfics myself but I promise to  
> deliver the 'goods' soon. As always: English is not my first language, sorry for the mistakes.

Although she was still embarrassed that Kylo called her out on a lie she intends to visit him again. She won't give him the satisfaction of thinking she'll stay away now because how he embarrassed her. Today though she is running late and has a legitimate reason to. 

Rey had spent the day with Rose Finn; going on a second field trip to Sifar. The same planet Rose & Finn had visited earlier. She can't remember the last time she had this much fun and she was glad that the outing took her mind off Kylo for a while. At least for a couple of hours because she then she realized that she never seen a planet so beautiful since... Takodana.. And thinking about Takodana had brought her right back to Kylo; to the moment they first met in the woods.

It's evening when she comes back from the trip and after eating and showering she walks towards the med bay towards Kylo's room. There is some sort of commotion, she sees Kylo's doctor arguing with him. 

Dr. Salem:

'You are not well enough to travel, not yet'. 

Kylo:

'Well I've got a signed decree by judge Wozniak that I can.' 

Dr. Salem:

'Please reconsider. You'll be a dead man walking over there and too weak to defend yourself. I am asking you to use your head and THINK about what you're sentencing yourself to. If you want me to call...'

Kylo interrupts the doctor because he notices Rey standing outside. He tells Dr. Salem that he is more than willing to argue later about this but not now. Dr. Salem says he is not finished with his conversation but has other patients to see anyway and leaves.

Rey:

'What was that about.... Dr. Salem seemed to imply that you were going away'. 

Kylo remains silent and starts grabbing his clothes from the closet and starts putting them into a suitcase. 

Rey:

'Who gave you your marching orders? Last time I recalled your trial was scheduled to happen a month from now.'. 

Kylo pretends to be very focused on folding his clothes neatly and putting them away.

Rey:

'I asked you a question, Kylo, and you still haven't answered it'. 

Kylo:

'I am leaving tomorrow morning for Austal prison camp. I called Supreme Judge Wozniak to speed things up. I don't want to prolong the inevitable anymore'. 

Rey :

'Austal prison camp? For God's sake, why? What's really going on?'.

Kylo decides to lie about the real reason:

'Nothing. I just don't feel very comfortable here'. 

Rey also had noticed the whispers and the dirty looks but didn't think it would bother Kylo too much. 

Rey:

'So... People talk about your back, since when do you care what people think of you? '. 

Kylo sighs:

'They aren't the only one. but he doesn't finish his sentence. 

Rey:

'The only one... what. '

Kylo, angrily 

'The only one giving me the feeling that I am unwelcome' and he looks at Rey. 

The accusation is clear as day, laid before them. Rey knows exactly what he is talking about. He is right in a way but a part of her thinks it not exactly fair. It's not like she had ignored him; she DID visit him daily. So yeah, she avoided talking to him about serious matters, refusing to let their conversations go deeper than general inquiries about his health but that doesn't mean Rey had purposefully avoided all contact.

Rey:

'That's not fair, Kylo.'

Kylo:

'Maybe not....' 

They both take a minute to gather their thoughts before Rey resumes talking again:

'How long will you be...'

Kylo:

'Wozniak said a year before any other measures are taken to prolong my sentence'. 

Rey, in disbelief:

'A year? Do you realize you just signed your death warrant? What do you think will happen to you in Austal? You'll be lucky if you survive the first week'. 

Kylo:

'I'm willing to face the consequences for what I did.'

Rey shakes her head and says: 

'I really don't understand why you're doing this'. 

Kylo:

Well as far I'm concerned it is none of your business, anyway.'. 

Rey, annoyed:

'Oh, that's just NICE to hear Kylo'. 

Kylo:

'I wasn't under the impression that I should talk things through with you first. This is my life and my decision; or do you pretend to have a say in what I do or don't do.' 

Rey doesn't know exactly what to say to that.

Rey:

'Of course, not... but it would have been... I mean... This really comes out of the blue. Maybe I could have offered you some advice. I don't know. I just wish you would have talked to me beforehand.'.

Kylo:

'Fine. Let's talk, Rey. NOW. Tell me this, why should I stay here?'. 

He walks in her direction and stops in front of her. 

Kylo:

'Give me a reason why I should stay. Better yet. Give me a reason why YOU want me to stay'. 

Kylo:

'Say it'. 

Rey doesn't respond. She doesn't want him to leave but he went ahead and ruined things by taking measures in his own hands. Things were now both out of their control. The judge had ordered him to go and there wasn't a single thing she could do to prevent it. 

Rey:

'I... I would have wanted you to get better before you left. Dr. Salem is right, you're in no state to travel.'

Kylo scoffs and shakes his head. 

Kylo, very sarcastically: 

'So... that is the only reason why you... You're pathetic, Rey. Thanks very much for your concern and pity party but I don't need it'. 

Suddenly Rey gets very angry. Angry he is leaving her. Angry that he didn't consult her before making this idiotic decision. Angry because she is going to not able to visit him for a year. Angry because she knows she'll be worried sick about him. And most of all, angry at herself because for some idiotic reason she still couldn't tell him how she felt even now he is going away. Before she knows it, her mouth gets carried away, her pride gets IN THE WAY and she blurts out something she never meant.

Rey:

'You know WHAT Kylo. Go now instead of tomorrow morning. Honestly what are you waiting for? You'll be doing all of us a favor by not having to live with a monster anymore'.

She instantly regrets what she has said when she looks at him and sees how hurt he is by her comment. Then he gets mad.

Kylo:

'NO. 'I AM MAYBE A MONSTER, BUT I AM NO GODDAMN COWARD. I will leave this fucking base in plain sight for everyone to see.'. 

Kylo calms down eventually and sighs.

Kylo:

'My ship leaves at ten. If you'll excuse me, I have still some packing to do'. 

Rey leaves. When she is in the comfort of her own room, she lets her guard down and starts crying.

****

The next morning Kylo has packed and is ready to go. He is waiting on the guards that will escort him to the ship. To his surprise he sees Rey walking down the corridor, but she is not alone. She is with that trai., no Finn. For some reason Poe isn't there and he thinks that odd... HE would have been there for Rey in this moment.

Kylo rolls his eyes at Finn:

'What are you doing here? I am not going to kidnap her or something for fuck sake.'

Finn smiles and says:

'I know you won't'.

He pauses for a moment and then resumes speaking again.

'Good luck, Kylo.. Never thought I would say that but I mean it'. 

Kylo:

' Uhm.. thank.. you'. 

Finn to Rey:

'See you later, Rey' and he walks away. The 'big' moment has arrived and it's time for Rey and Kylo to say to say goodbye.

Rey:

'Kylo.. I said horrible things yesterday.. I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry'.

Kylo:

'I'm sorry too'.

Rey is trying desperately to gather herself because her emotions are a right mess. She is sure she'll break at any moment but doesn't have time to. Kylo sees the guards coming down the corridor and extends his hand to Rey: 

'Bye, Rey'.

Rey takes his hand, shakes it and watches him getting cuffed and taken away by guards.


	9. Chapter 9

ONE YEAR LATER.

His phone is ringing, which is very odd because he isn't expected a call. The only one that knows the number is his probation officer and he just had spoken to him before for a monthly check in...He looks at his phone and the display says 'Caller unknown'.

Kylo doesn't think he should answer and is hesitant. For all he knows it is someone trying to find out his location, but curiosity gets to him. That and the fact the phone WILL NOT STOP RINGING. Whoever it is on the other line is intent on speaking to him. He presses the button and speaks.

Kylo:

'Who is this?'

Unknown person:

'Kylo?'

Kylo:

'No sorry, wrong number' and he is about the end the call if the person on the line hadn't spoken again.

'It's me, Poe'.

Kylo:

'Poe?'

He knows exactly who Poe is but just repeats the name because he never would have thought that Poe would call him. Like EVER.

Poe:

'Yes. Poe, remember. That guy you tortured for information, that guy that saved you from Sux and blew up the First Order. You know... I know you dark side boys lack manners, but would it have killed you to send a 'Thanks for saving my ass' card? GOD.'

Kylo doesn't know what to say to that. It was true, he had never thanked Poe, or the traitor, no Finn and Rey.

Poe:

'So ehm.. How are you?

Kylo:

'Fine.. OK'.

Poe:

'Listen, you are invited to a wedding'.

Kylo:

'A wedding? Whose?.'

He kicks himself for asking... He already knows the answer and his heart sinks. After a moment he starts feeling incredibly angry because IF this was Poe's way of bragging about marrying Rey, Kylo is going to bring down hell, doom and fire on him. Eventually. He is a patient man and is willing to wait a long time for vengeance.

Poe:

'Mine. I am getting married next Saturday to my lovely Alicia... Unfortunately, a few of my buddies can't make it so I'm trying to get some people to fill in. You're free, right?'.

Kylo:

'Oh. Oh. I see. Yeah I'm free but why me and how I do know if ...'

Poe ignores Kylo's first question but answers the last one.

Poe:

'Relax dude, this isn't a trap'.

Kylo:

'How did you get my number by the way? It's classified.'

Poe:

' Who cares? Look I'm gonna text you the venue and reception information in a minute. And Kylo? '.

Kylo:

'Yeah?'.

Poe:

'Try not to wear anything menacing looking. It's a wedding, not a funeral'.

Before Kylo can answer Poe has hung up. He doesn't know what to make of this. First, he doesn't understand how Poe was able to reach him in the first place because everything regarding Kylo's privacy was thought of in detail. Secondly, he didn't buy that Poe had friends dropping out of the wedding. And third; why on earth would Poe want to invite him, of all people, to his wedding?

The only reason he can think of is Rey. Maybe Poe is trying to play matchmaker or something, well fuck that he isn't playing along and will not go. He might not be Kylo Ren anymore but that doesn't mean people can patronize him and arrange playdates. But then again... he wants to see her. He had thought of her many times in prison, but then he remembered Poe kissing her and his anger and jealousy took over.

Kylo had been successful in blocking her through the Force Bond, well most of the time. One time he was too late in severing the connection. That day he was beaten to a pulp again by his other inmates. The security guards knew about this but as long as Kylo wasn't killed; it was alright in their book. Kylo was alone in his cell, tending to his wounds and didn't notice the Force Bond opening. Seconds later he looks up to Rey standing in front of him, eyes wide with shock. The only thing Rey was able to say was his name before he severed the connection. He didn't want her to see him like this. Vulnerable, pitiful, WEAK not to mention, severally beaten as well. So, he started blocking her even if he feels she is actively trying to reach out to him. He refuses contact and eventually she gets the message and stops which he wanted her to, but he feels disappointment nonetheless.

But now things were different. He was out of prison; he had survived it. It had not been easy, he ended up a many time several med bays all over the country, but he had prevailed. Maybe now he had a chance again? A chance to explain, make things right. Tell her how he had completely misread the situation that night with her and Poe. Explain that he understood NOW that she wasn't ever with Poe to begin with, that he had been a damn fool for believing it and an even bigger fool for not speaking to her. He walks to his closet, opens it and after examining his wardrobe comes to the realization that he needs to buy a suit.

You are cordially invited to, Poe Dameron's & Alecia Davon's wedding.

Date: Saturday, May 17th

Venue: The Casgarian Hotel & Resort, Bailloo Boulevard 26

Time: From 12.00- dawn

Rey stares at the wedding invitation and smiles... How quickly things can change in one year..

Her friends were moving on with their lives. Finn had enrolled in college, Rose had gone back to working as a nurse and she and Finn had moved into together. Unfortunately, their new place was as far from the base as could be so Re didn't see them again. Poe was still a pilot but nowadays flying commercial flights for several companies on a freelance basis. It wasn't the same as flying for the Resistance, but it paid the bills and it kept him doing what he liked.

As for Rey. She had tried to move on, in her way but there was this sense of missing. Like she's waiting for something. It is closure that Rey seeks and she is looking for it but failing to find it. She even went back to Jakku but as soon as she landed she had felt out of place and miserable; with memories flooding her every second.

She tries to keep busy, she does. Rey spends her days still at the Resistance base; archiving books, data, ships, military gear also upkeeping with general maintenance before the base was due to shut down in a month. She had NO IDEA where she would go next. All this worrying is starting to get her down again and she decides to focus on the happy occasion that will take place that weekend. d Rey had bought a black, flowy dress that was approved personally by Rose through holo chat. Just two days left, and she will be able to see her friends again and the thought makes her smile again.

It had been a great day so far... Poe and Alecia had a lovely ceremony at church and a very funny too. Poe was intent to make to the priest and his wife crack up with his jokes and succeeded several times. At the end, when it was time 'to kiss the bride' he had given Alecia the longest kiss, it made people yell at Poe to stop kissing and reluctantly but eventually he did. Later it was time for the wedding reception and Rey, Finn, Poe and Rose have a great time eating, drinking and dancing. Rey for one is unable to leave the dance floor.

At one point she starts to feel a bit uncomfortable though; as if someone is staring at there. She investigates the direction the stares are coming from and...

She legitimately feels her heart dropping and unable to breathe, as if someone is holding her throat tight. He is standing in the corner of the room, wearing a black suit with white shirt, his raven dark hair a lot shorter than she remembers. Something also had changed about his demeanor. Gone was his smug expression and replaced by something she couldn't put her finger on. Rey does notice how he looks like he hasn't slept in days.

But it is him, most definitely..

Kylo Ren.


	10. Chapter 10

Rey:

'You

* slaps Poe on his right arm*

invited

* again*

HIM ??'.

*slaps for the last time*

Poe:

'Who?'.

Rey is ready to slap once more but Poe intervenes.

Poe:

'Alright alright.. First of all; will you stop hitting me? You don't know your strength. Holy crap, worse than Leia'.

Rey nods.

Poe:

'Thank you. Second: this is my wedding and I'll invite whoever I want to and third of all, it turns out me and Kylo have lots in common, actually'.

Rey, snippy:

'Like WHAT?'.

Poe:

'Well... uh say what you will about Kylo, but he is also a good pilot?'. And Poe shrugs.

Rey:

'Right... I'm going to hit you again'.

Poe:

'Oh please don't.'

Rey:

'Does Alecia know? It's her wedding too you know? I don't think she'll happy to know that someone like Kylo is here'.

Poe:

'Word of notice. I introduced him as Ben and that is his name tonight; not Kylo. No, Alecia has never seen him without the mask and wouldn't recognize him. Most of the people here don't and besides the man isn't exactly known for leaving witnesses remember?'.

Poe continues:

'I would like for Alecia not to find out so zip it, Rey. I don't want to have the record of the 'galaxy's shortest marriage' on my name. Anyway. I have 10 of my air force buddies present who are armed to the nines and took the security measure of frisking Kylo at the entrance. Not that they needed to though.'.

Rey:

'How can you be so certain?'.

Poe:

'I doubt that he is going to act up because YOU are here, Rey. I saw him on the ship, protecting you when Hux shot and you mentioned that he killed Snoke for you. It was a risk I was willing to take'.

Rey:

'But why, Poe? Why invite HIM?'.

Poe sighs:

'Rey. I am sorry to say this, but I know, no we know, you've been a crying mess ever since Kylo left for prison. Finn, Rose and I talked about it several times.'

Rey thinks that is ludicrous and opens her mouth to protest but deep down, she knows it is true. The closure she wanted had to do with Kylo and while she was great at waiting, it had made her feel restless and uneasy to do so throughout the year. It didn't help that Kylo was actively avoiding her through the Force Bond, except for that one time he forgot to.

Poe:

'What the hell happened between you too? I told you to tell him how you feel before I left'.

Rey:

'I was going to tell him, eventually.'.

Poe:

'He is back so uhm.'.

Rey, sarcastically:

'Yeah, I saw him, nearly got a damn heart attack. You could have warned me, you know'.

Poe:

'I wasn't sure you would come if you knew he was going to be here'.

Poe has a point there, she hates to admit it. More than likely she wouldn't have attended the wedding if she HAD known.

Rey:

'How can you forgive him, Poe, for what he has done?'.

Poe:

'Hold up. Who says I forgive him? I don't think that is up to me. I don't know if that is up to you either, but you know what, Rey. No one walks out of a war with clean hands, not even us and we're supposed to be the 'good guys'.

Rey:

'I just can't believe he is out so soon. I thought they were going to prolong his sentence'.

Poe:

'Leia played a big part in this. Before her death, she was very active in lobbying the Supreme Court. She agreed that Kylo should be punished and it was her idea to send him to Austal for a year. They wanted to send him away for 20 years, but Leia managed to get the number down. Look I don't know if I should tell you this, but Leia came across some pictures of supreme judges with prostitutes. Prostitutes who...as it turned out later didn't exactly meet the age requirement so to speak. She threatened to go public with the pictures and will do so even after her death because she has copies filed away and they are in trusted hands.'

Rey:

'So. Leia is blackmailing judges. even now?'.

Poe:

'Essentially yes. I don't think it was her finest hour and she knew that. She wasn't proud of it or something.'

Suddenly Poe looks in the direction of someone who is coming outside and excuses himself.

Poe:

'Well I better go back in and join my beautiful wife again...'.

Rey turns her back and sees Kylo coming up to her. Damn it. She had wanted to avoid him for as long as possible but there he was, approaching slowly but surely.

Kylo:

'Hello, Rey'.

Rey:

'Hello, Kylo'.

Kylo:

'Tonight it's Ben, actually'.

Rey, smiles a little:

'Yeah sorry. Poe informed me. 'Ben'.

An awkward silence falls between them.

Ben sighs : then resumes speaking:

'Can you... stay here? For a little while. I mean not go back in. I. need to talk to you.'

Rey, annoyed:

'I don't know Ben... You weren't eager to talk to me this past year. What changed?'.

Ben:

'Everything. Everything changed, Rey' and he gives her desperate look like if he is begging him to understand him.

Rey:

'Some things never change, Ben, or some people'.

Ben:

'How do you know I haven't?'.

Rey takes a deep breath and then speaks:

'Answer me this because I've wondered about this many a time the last few months. If we hadn't come to save you. Would you have turned back on your own account?'.

Ben shakes his head:

'At that point? No'.

Rey is shocked that he just admitted that so easily.

Ben, getting angry:

'What do you want me to say, Rey? That Snoke manipulated me from an early age? I know it. I know this now, but you must understand. There is a part of me that wanted it. I WANTED the power and everything it brought me. I enjoyed it and as much as I like to say that I am innocent, I am clearly not. You yourself called me a monster twice. I can't deny or lie that wasn't drawn to the Dark Side because it felt very natural to me.

But if it makes you feel better. I got the shit kicked out of me every day in Austal. I DON'T SLEEP. EVER. Because the minute I close my eyes these days I dream of Han, begging me not to... '

He doesn't finish his sentence because an overwhelming sense of guilt and grief washes over him. Ben swallows a lump in his throat before he continues.

Ben:

'I have thought long and hard about my future, but I can't seem to formulate a plan. I have absolutely no clue what will happen to me or if I'll be thrown back in prison. I don't make plans, Rey because I can't count on them. But there is one thing I CAN see as clear as day when I think about my future and that's you. I might not have a Galaxy left to rule with you but the offer still stands'.

And as before he extends a hand to her.

Rey:

'You shouldn't have left'.

Ben lowers his hand.

Ben:

'I.. I regretted leaving every day, but I thought that you... I saw you with Poe one night and drew the wrong conclu....'

Rey:

'What?

Ben :

'I saw Poe kissing you and I thought you and he were...'.

Rey, in genuine disbelief:

'POE?'

Rey repeating:

'POE?'.

Ben, shouting:

'YES!'.

Rey:

'So that's why you left. You're an idiot, Ben. Me and Poe have NEVER...'.

Ben, annoyed:

'Yeah I GET that now.'

Silence resumes between them.

Rey:

'I don't know, Ben. I don't know what will become of us, everything is so uncertain, and it scares me. I need more time to think'.

She wasn't lying. She had the biggest shock of her life today. Him being here. Rey was under the impression that she would never see him again but there he was tonight. Rey needs more time, still to process things, the events that happened over the past two years.

Ben:

'Why? What are you still holding on for? Look around you. There is no more your side or my side. No First Order or Resistance left. No Snoke or Hux. It is just us now.'.

When she doesn't respond he decides he has had enough, at least for tonight. Coming here had been a mistake. He knew he had done the most horrible things but there was a slight glimmer of hope inside of him. Redemption. The possibility of being redeemed... in her eyes. But she wasn't going to change her mind; at least not for now and even he, former master of the Knights Ren knew when to quit.

Ben:

'I wish you all the best, Rey'.

Rey:

'What?

Rey, angry:

'You are unbelievable. Fine. Go.'

But then he watches him turn his back on her and preparing to walk away. Internally she is screaming that this is a mistake, kicking herself for letting him leave again.

Rey:

'Ben, please I..'

He continues to walk away.

Rey, calling after him:

'Don't go. Not like this, we can talk some more'.

Ben stops, turns his head and said:

Ben:

'I won't do this. Not again'.

And for the second time in her life she watches him walk out on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter left I swear... :) I struggled with finishing so decided to extend the story a little bit.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Eleven notes  
> \- Warning: excessive use of the word fuck ahead. I opted to use that instead of that "KRIFF" because it sounds so so weird to me.

It has been one month since Poe's wedding. She hasn't seen her friends since Rose and Finn were busy with work and school whereas Poe was still on his honeymoon but due back any time. But Rey tries to keep busy as much as she can. The base is due to close in a couple of days and she has her hands full with overseeing the move of several items and archiving things. She is nearly done with her job with but always finds some extra things to do. Anything to get her mind off...

She hasn't seen him or talked to him in a month either. The Force Bond had never opened and in a way, she was grateful that she didn't have to face him. She tries to not think about it the way things had ended and the fact that she rejected him. For the second time as well but she needed some time to figure out things. Somehow Finn's words had stuck with her about not being able to have a life together and the thought of losing someone again scares her. Rey had waited all her life for her parents to come back but they never did. She doesn't know if she can do that all over again. 

Lost in thoughts, she doesn't notice the door opening and a tall person walking towards her until that person is in closing distance to her and she looks up.

It's him... Her mood changes instantly and she greets him with a big smile at least until he starts speaking.

Ben; angry:

'I'm not here to see you'. 

Rey, confused:

'What? Oh. (slightly disappointed). OH. Well, hello to you too Kylo'.

Ben:

'It's Ben.', and he sighs.

I'm here to get something from the archive. Apparently the General.... My mother has left a box with some of my stuff or hers for me here. I got a letter from your supervising officer that it was stored in section 9. If you point me to the direction of where that is, I'll gladly go get it myself'. 

He gives Rey a note where the location is scribbled on. There is no sub section mentioned on the piece of paper so there is no way someone who doesn't know this archive by heart like Rey for instance, will be able to find that box. Rey explains this to him and he reluctantly agrees that she'll look with him.

Rey:

'So.... Why do you need that box now? We could have send it to you if you had wanted.'

He prefers not to speak.

Rey:

'You're leaving, again aren't you?'. 

Ben still doesn't speak.

Rey:

'Back to...?'.

Ben shakes his head:

'I'm not going back to prison. That is all I am going to tell you, for now. Now where the hell is that Section 9?'. 

Rey:

'There', she points. 

It takes them an hour to rummage through the archive. They don't talk to each other much mainly because Ben cuts things off every time Rey tries to find out more about where he is going. Then finally they find Leia's box and Rey hands it to him. His name is written on it. He stares at the hand writing of his mother and Rey can see that his fingers shake a little. 

Then he gathers himself again and they start walking back together to the section where Rey was working. When they reach it is time to say goodbye and Ben decides to not dwell on things by saying a quick goodbye. Rey looks at him. He doesn't seem to be angry anymore; just sad Rey thinks to herself. If only he knew that she shares the same sentiments.

Ben gives her a nod followed by the smallest, barely visible courteous smile. 

'Thank you. Rey'. 

Rey, smiles back at him but then answers softly:

'You're welcome. Ben'.

She doesn't want to see him leave again so she pretends to resume working and putting things away. 

Ben walks away but stops abruptly midway, he remembers something Rey's supervising officer had written to him in the letter. The base was closing in a couple of days. Rey lives on the base but she hadn't mentioned anything about it today. He was wondering on where she was planning on going now. 

'FUCK. FUCK.FUCK', he thinks to himself. WHY can't he just walk away from her? It would be so much easier if he could, but he can't. 

FUCK. Fuck it all to hell. The First Order, The Resistance, The Sith, the Jedi but mostly FUCK HIM. He should have gone with her sooner but was just too stupid to realize this. Still holding on to the notion of power and glory but everything had gone to hell anyway when Hux organized the mutiny. It had been all for nothing; murdering his father had split his core to the bone. He tried not thinking about and actively denied accountability in his head but eventually the guilt AND TRUTH had hit him like a ton of bricks. And then his mother died without ever making things up with her, she died knowing that her son had done unspeakably things and never redeemed himself.

He had lost everyone he had cared about except her and so... he walks back to her and stops in front of her. He gets close; almost in touching distance.

Ben:

'This base is about to close in a couple of days.'

Rey:

'Yeah... so?'.

Ben:

'So... where are you going to go?'.

Rey feels a bit called out but answers anyway:

'I. I haven't decided yet.'

She had put off making the decision for so long, the days caught up on her and it was getting time to leave.

Ben:

'You haven't deci... Really, Rey?'.

Rey; getting annoyed:

'What's IT TO YOU, Ben?'.

He sighs. 'So stubborn', he thinks to himself. One thing they both have in common.

Ben:

'Come with me'. 

Rey's heart starts beating faster after that sentence until her abandonment issues come back to haunt her again. 

Rey:

'That is a ridiculous idea. I don't even know where you're going. You haven't told me remember?'.

Ben:

'Sifar.. Judge Wozniak ordered me go to there. Look.. I don't know why I'm getting off so easy but I suspect my mother has something to do with it. All I know is that they want me to go but they are going to monitor my every move, I must report to them weekly and I'm not allowed to leave. Not ever. Those are the conditions; at least for now..'. 

Rey:

'Sifar.. It's beautiful', she says with a soft voice. 

Ben takes a deep breath:

'Come with me Rey'. 

Rey:

'No'. 

Ben:

'Why NOT?'. 

Rey:

'Because I can't leave this base... I still have some work to do here and I...'

Ben is done with talking at this point. No more talking. It doesn't do them any favors he thinks and it is time to act. Before Rey fully understands what's happening or has a chance to react Ben walks behind her, grabs her, holds her in his arms tightly and he walks away. The situation is similar to the first time they met but this time he doesn't knock her out. 

Rey:

'Hey! Oh. OH. REALLY BEN? REALLY? You are going to do this again.?'.

Ben, smiles but doesn't look at her. He just looks straight ahead and walks casually towards the door like it's the most normal thing in the world..

Ben:

'Yes, I am'.

Rey:

'Let me go'. 

Ben:

'No'. 

Rey:

'I said LET ME GO'.

He doesn't answer.

Rey:

'I WILL PUNCH YOU in your face if you don't.'. 

Ben:

'Fine. Just not on the eyes, OK.?'.

Rey doesn't punch him though, she doesn't want to. At all. She doesn't kick him either; she likes that he is holding her like this, but she won't admit that to him.

Rey:

'You know. . You're lucky I don't have my light saber with me because I would have beat your ass'. 

Ben looks at her and gives her the loveliest smile and she swears it feels like a million butterflies are taking off in her stomach and then says...

Ben:

'Yeah, you probably would have'. 

Rey sighs:

'You're really doing this. Taking me with?'. 

Ben: 

'This feels a bit repetitive to answer, Rey but yes. I am taking you with me'.

They are out of the archive and are headed towards the docking area, to his ship. Still in his arms, Rey thinks about how this must look silly to an outsider, but no one is around to witness it.

Rey:

'What about my stuff? Can I at least get them and meet you in half an hour?'.

Ben:

'Nah. You escaped once, won't let that happen again'. 

At this point Rey is getting more and more annoyed with him having the upper hand in this situation.

'You are insufferable.'.

Ben just smiles again but doesn't look at her.

Rey:

'How do you know I won't murder you in your sleep once we get there?'. 

Ben:

'You won't.'

Rey:

'I might'. 

Ben:

'I don't think you will ... And besides... I'm going to hold you so tight you will not be able to move a finger anyway'. 

Rey realizes what Ben is trying to imply; he and her sleeping in the same bed and her face starts to redden. 

Rey:

'Uh..Uh.. What. That's.... I.. I.' and gibberish follows .

Ben, teasing her: 

'Are you OK? Your face is all red all of the sudden...'

Rey; pissed off at him making fun of her lashes out in anger and before she knows it, her mouth runs off again.

Rey:

'I WILL NEVER SHARE A BED WITH A MURDEROUS SNAKE. '. 

She will never forgive herself for saying this that because the way he looks at her after that. So very hurt and heartbroken, she literally can sense all his hope shattering into a million pieces. 

Soon after her comment, he firmly but gently puts her down and without saying anything further makes his way out.

Rey, yelling after him:

'I am sorry, Ben'. 

He continues to walk away.

Rey:

'Please. I didn't mean what I said'.

He is moving further and further away.

Rey:

'I SAID I WAS SORRY'.

Her pleading words don't seem to influence him...

Rey, starts to cry:

'Come back, please...Oh for fucks sake! I love you, BEN'. 

He stops and slightly turns around and looks at her with disbelief.

Ben:

'You .. do?'. 

He doesn't wait for an answer. It takes him about 5 seconds to get back to the place where Rey is standing... He then takes her in his arms, leans down and gives Rey a kiss that knocks the breath out of her mouth. Rey returns the kiss with just as much enthusiasm and they stay there, mouths locked in a passionate, for a very long time. It is he who eventually breaks the spell. He rests his head on hers, looks down while smiling and says:

'Aah. You do..'. 

He pulls her closer and starts to gently stroke her hair. 

Ben:

'You'll come with me? To anywhere I go? No matter what?'.

Rey:

'Anywhere. No matter what.'. 

He takes her face in his hands, leans down and kisses her again. They leave for Sifar soon after and that night he makes her his.

Maz Kanata was right. At Sifar and with Ben by her side she finally found the belonging she had wanted so desperately before.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everybody.. ;)


End file.
